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People pick up strange ideas from movies, TV, or urban legends about what it takes to become a pilot. Here are five common myths about being a pilot, explained for those who have absorbed misinformation. All Pilots Must Have Perfect Vision According to the FAA’s guide for aviation medical examiners, the agency requires that first-class air transport and second-class commercial pilots have 20/20 distance vision in each eye with or without correction. Third-class private pilots must demonstr …

Your aviation headset is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment you have in the air. It protects your ears from the roaring engines of your plane or helicopter, and it’s also your primary method of communication with air traffic control. For that reason, your headset should always be in good condition. Here are some telltale signs it’s time to upgrade your aviation headset.Wear and TearOne of the most obvious signs it’s time to upgrade your aviation headset is when excessive wear and tear b …

The primary purpose of aviation headsets is two-fold. Because of how loud planes can be, a headset’s primary purpose is to reduce the level of noise so that a pilot doesn’t damage their hearing and can communicate with air traffic control. Because of how vital a headset is for any pilot, there are a few questions to ask before choosing your aviation headset to ensure you select one that is both functional and comfortable.What Are You Flying?The first question relates to the kind of plane you’re …

Every pilot’s flight bag of pilot supplies may look a little different, but there are a few essentials and recommended items pilots should always have with them. This may include personal items that make your flight more comfortable or emergency supplies in the event that something should go wrong. As you’re getting ready to fly, here’s the aviation equipment you’ll need to consider for a successful flight.Logbook All pilots keep a logbook that documents their activities and flight time. Th …

Customers often ask us to recommend a headset. In order to help a customer find the perfect headset there are a few questions that need to be answered.  The first question that we ask is whether you have heard of active noise reduction (ANR) technology? It is important to figure out if you want an active headset or a passive headset. Active noise reduction is an enhanced noise reduction technology that uses an electronic signal in the ear cup to cancel certain background noise. This result …

Are you thinking about getting an instrument rating? Most pilots will tell you that it can only help you and doesn’t really hurt you. There are many reasons to consider pursuing an instrument rating. The most obvious reason to pursue an instrument rating is so that you can fly in the clouds. Here in San Diego, we often have a marine layer in the mornings and it often doesn’t thin out at all in the winter. I was just starting my instrument training and my instructor and I were about t …

Congratulations on passing your private pilot checkride! Now you officially have a license to learn. Whether you are building time for the next rating or using your PPL to have some fun, you are now among the somewhat small group of individuals who can do what we do. Here are some suggestions for how to use that new license! You can now fly whenever you want (providing the weather is VFR), whomever you want, and wherever you want! The pilot community jokes about the $100 hamburger and now you ca …

So you’ve decided you want to start flight training? The first step is to find the best teacher to help you along your journey. Here are several tips to help you. Interview them: You should sit down one on one with every potential instructor and ask them a list of questions to help guide you to finding the right fit. Some questions that people might ask are about the instructor’s pass rate, their history as a flight instructor (brand new or very experienced), if they are planning to …

So now that we’ve gone over ADS-B Out, we can talk more about ADS-B in.ADS-B In is the equipment that allows the pilot to read the position reports from other aircraft. It contains Flight Information Service Broadcasts (FIS-B) and Traffic Information Service Broadcasts (TIS-B). It is optional and there are a number of portable ADS-B In Receivers that allow this. In addition to traffic, ADS-B also provides certain weather updates. In flight, the pilot can receive METARs, TAFs, NOTAMs, …

Are you ADS-B equipped? It’s the Law!You may have heard Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) is required for certain aircraft in certain areas. Here are some ADS-B basics. ADS-B consists of two types, ADS-B Out and ADS-B In. Only ADS-B Out is required for certain aircraft. ADS-B Out broadcasts a signal using position data as well as other information. It then sends that signal to ground based locations where it can be received by air traffic control as well as other ADS-B equ …